


What Have We Got?

by nagi_schwarz



Series: The Oppenheimer Effect [26]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6961000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Multiverse, Any +/ Any, Teachers AU."</p><p>Monthly staff meeting at Memorial High School. In which Cam knows nothing about lesbian sex and John knows how to date a woman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Have We Got?

“What have we got this month?” Principal Connor looked exhausted. Damien had been arrested for another outburst in class, and he’d gone kicking and screaming into the police car.  
  
John was pretty sure the outburst had been a PTSD episode, but Damien had been a threat to the other kids, so he’d had to be removed, but a night in detention wasn’t going to help him.  
  
The rest of the teachers, plus the school counselor and Gabriel, the school resource officer, were seated around the conference table, tearing into their lunch.  
  
None of them looked inclined to talk.  
  
Finally Elliot, the history-government-drama teacher (everyone pulled multiple duty), raised her hand. “I think Sasha and Tina are lesbians, and someone needs to have a chat with them about safe sex.”  
  
Cam choked on his coffee.  
  
“What makes you say that?” Kristen, the school counselor, was taking notes.  
  
Elliot shot Yu, the biology and other math teacher, a look. “I caught them in that alcove between Yu and John’s class with their hands up each other’s shirts.”  
  
Yu shook her head. “I teach bio, not anat and phys. The sex talk is up to someone else.”  
  
“Someone has to give it to them,” Elliot insisted.  
  
“If they ask one of us in an unofficial capacity, one of us could...advise,” Cam said. “For the record, though, I know nothing about lesbian sex.”  
  
Principal Connors, who’d been a marine in Vietnam and grown up with DADT, looked discomfited, but he said nothing.  
  
“That kind of talk is probably best handled by a woman anyway,” Kristen said.  
  
Angel, who taught English, Spanish, and French, was uncannily pretty in an androgynous way and probably only nominally a woman. “Whatever happens, be discreet with them. Sasha’s parents are very Catholic, and I’d be worried about her physical safety if her parents found out about her orientation.”  
  
“Noted,” Kristen said.  
  
Once someone broke the silence, the teachers were open with their observations. Gabriel was pretty sure some local gangsters were hanging around the school, had driven by during lunch time the last few days. One of them had spoken to Keena.  
  
“That’s bad,” Evan said, sitting up straighter. “Keena’s a recovering meth addict.”  
  
JD shook his head. Having meth addicts Keena’s age had probably been unheard of when he was in high school. The other teachers winced.  
  
“Noted,” Kristen said, writing it down in her notebook.  
  
Kelea, the chemistry-history teacher, voiced some concerns about Tina and Damien. Apparently Tina and Damien had gone out on one date, and now Damien was constantly calling and texting Tina during and between classes, wanting to know where she was, who she was with, where she was going, what her plans were, when he was going to see her again.  
  
“Someone needs to have a chat with him about dating boundaries,” Principal Connors said. “Although if it was only one date, I'm not sure they're dating.”

"Tell him that,” John muttered.

“No, don't tell him that,” Elliot said. “He'd use Tina's sexuality as a weapon and a means of control for sure.”

“Someone needs to talk to him,” Yu agreed. She'd heard his outburst from her own classroom.

“Probably someone not a woman,” Kelea said. “He has trouble with female authority figures.”  
  
John lifted his chin. “I can do it.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Kristen asked.  
  
“I’m in a long-term, committed, healthy relationship,” John pointed out, “and also I’m not a woman.”  
  
Principal Connors’ mouth twisted for a moment, but then he said, “You’re dating Dr. McKay.”  
  
“I was married once,” John said, and at the others’ surprised looks, he added, “to a woman. I know how to date a woman, thanks. And the boundaries of healthy dating relationships are the same no matter the gender of the participants.”  
  
Once all of the student concerns were out of the way - Kristen made plans to visit truant students, they discussed the problem of Damien at length - they moved on to more banal concerns, like end-of-year testing, student showcases, and summer school.  
  
When John had chosen to become a teacher, it was because he’d have the chance to make a direct difference in someone’s life. He’d never felt like a hero as a soldier, and after everything went south with his attempted rescue of Mitch, Holland, and Dex, he’d felt even more useless. And then he’d heard that teachers were in demand, and he signed on. So many people warned him not to do it, it was thankless, it paid crap, but he didn’t need money, and he’d already worked a thankless job.

Still, his masters program hadn’t prepared him for this part of being a teacher, for having to try to be a parent for unruly kids whose parents either couldn’t or wouldn’t meet their kids’ needs. John had a few hours a week with these kids, and trying to help them was like spitting into a gale, and when he saw where they came from, he wondered why he even ought to try.  
  
But he had to try, because maybe a hundred or a thousand kids who grew into successful adults would fill the void in the world that Mitch, Holland, and Dex had left behind.  
  
When the meeting adjourned, the other teachers scrambled back to their classrooms for a moment alone to fortify themselves against the onslaught of sugar-high teenagers, but Evan and JD and Cam stayed behind, and they asked Principal Connors and Kristen to stay as well.  
  
John started to rise out of his chair, but Evan said, “You too, please. Stay.”  
  
Once the other teachers were all gone, Principal Connors cleared his throat. “What’s this about, boys?”  
  
Cam looked at Kristen. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but over the weekend, Tyler’s caseworker approached me and asked if I’d be willing to adopt Tyler.”  
  
Principal Connors sat back, his expression unreadable.  
  
Kristen nodded. “He talked to me about it. I said the worst he could do was ask.”  
  
“We’ve been talking about it,” Cam said, “because it affects all of us in the house. Before we talked to Tyler, we wanted to know how it would affect things here at school.”  
  
“Parents teach at the schools their children attend all the time,” Principal Connors said. “That wouldn’t be a problem, administration-wise.”  
  
“You’re concerned about how the other students will feel,” Kristen said.  
  
Cam nodded. “We’re not supposed to have favorites.”  
  
“I don’t think any of you gentlemen play favorites,” Principal Connors said. “Just - can you even adopt a child?”  
  
“Tyler’s caseworker says he can be placed with Cam as long as everyone in the house is eligible as an adoptive placement,” JD said, and John hadn’t known JD had contacted Fiona since Saturday. “Since I’m over eighteen and clear a background check - had to, to work here - Tyler could live with us until he was adopted.”  
  
“Whatever you decide to do with that is your own business,” Principal Connors.  
  
“But please keep me in the loop.” Kristen smiled encouragingly.  
  
John was pretty sure she had a crush on Cam.  
  
“There is one other thing,” Cam said.  
  
Principal Connors paused halfway out of his chair. “Yes?”  
  
“Evan and I are dating.”  
  
Kristen’s expression faltered.  
  
John darted a glance at JD, but he looked completely unfazed. Either he was a damn good actor or he’d known this was coming, which meant he’d agreed - for good reason - not to be part of the dating disclosure.  
  
“We kept it quiet till we were sure it was serious,” Cam said.  
  
Principal Connors looked discomfited again. “Dating or married couples at the same institution isn’t against district policy. But thank you for making me aware. Just - keep it professional.”  
  
“We do our best,” Evan said.  
  
Kristen swallowed hard. “Keep up the good work, because I had no clue, and I’m pretty sure no one else on staff did either.” She smiled and excused herself. Principal Connors followed.  
  
Once it was just the four of them in the staff room, Cam heaved a sigh of relief. “I was just waiting for Connor to go angry drill sergeant on me for that last one.”  
  
“He’s from a different generation,” Evan said reasonably, “and he tries hard to keep his personal opinions to himself for the sake of the kids.” He turned to JD. “Are you sure you’re all right with this?”  
  
JD nodded. “I understand what has to be done. Now we have to talk to Tyler.”  
  
“We talked to him yesterday and fixed a time to meet,” Cam said. Before Evan could jump in, Cam added, “Don’t worry, I added it to the household calendar. I made sure all of us - even Rodney - could make it.”  
  
“Does Fiona need to be there?” John asked.  
  
“We need to tell Tyler the truth about the three of us,” Cam said. “If he can handle that, we’ll call Fiona.”  
  
John nodded. “Okay.” His watch beeped. “Pop quiz time.”  
  
“Yu doesn’t give out nearly as many pop quizzes as you do,” Evan said.  
  
John grinned. “Call it my inner drill sergeant. I’ll see you later.” He had to run to make it into his classroom before the bell rang.


End file.
